Black Coffees, Mocha Lattes and Love
by xDeanax
Summary: [Athrun x Cagalli] It all began the day they accidentally swapped drinks...Now everywhere Cagalli goes the infuriating Athrun Zala would keep popping up!
1. Part One

If this ficlet seems familiar to you, well, it's because it's been posted before. But it got deleted for reasons stated in my bio (please check it out if you're curious). This is going to act as a side-project while I tackle my other fics. (Lord, save me from the dreaded homework...)

I've made a couple of changes. The chapters are longer, scenes are altered and added, and (hopefully) the overall revamped version is better. My fingers are crossed! Hehe...

This chapter is especially dedicated to the people who had wanted a return of BCMLAL. The motivation really helped. So thank you!

* * *

**BLACK COFFEES, MOCHA LATTES, AND LOVE**

**PART ONE: Ugh! Life is the pits and it just got a whole lot worse...**

* * *

18-year-old Cagalli Yula Athha was mad. Very, VERY mad. And when she was mad, the murderous I'll-kick-your-butt-if-you-so-much-as-breathe-in-my-direction look on her face was enough to scare off even the bravest of hearts. All the passersby who intended to live to a ripe old age of sixty with their heads still attached to their bodies gulped and went out of their way to make room for the passing of this enraged woman.

She was a petite blond, with a temper quick to rise and hard to appease. Dressed in a jacket and jeans, she looked very much like a male. Only her more 'feminine curves' saved her from being mistaken from the opposite sex. And if someone DID make the unfortunate mistake of calling her a 'guy' in her face...well, let's just say he'd better build himself a sarcophagus and embalm himself to hide his horribly scarred face.

But I digress. Cagalli stormed her way down the streets and into her favorite coffee bar, Café Romeo. Her golden-brown eyes blazed as she remembered the incident that had caused her to become so stressed and irritable...

O-o-O

"_I don't like it."_

_Now why wasn't she surprised?_

_She'd been receiving the same response over and over again for the last few weeks. Like a broken tape recorder—except three times more annoying._

_Cagalli knew she should have been used to it by now. She KNEW she should be. But as you well know, 'knowing' it and 'feeling' it are two completely different things. _

_Her mother, Rosalind Athha was sitting at her desk, reading her manuscripts. A frown graced her features as she perused the pages. She was the almighty head of the famous Cupid Romance book publication company and she demanded only the best for her customers._

_Cagalli, despite her rather tomboyish attitude, was a romantic at heart and very imaginative. She was one of the best authors in Japan_ _and she had that special flair of making a love story come alive in the reader's mind. This talent of hers had made her a much sought after author in the romance genre._

_Lately though her mother found fault in every draft she had written. And it frustrated Cagalli to no end because she couldn't understand the reason why. _

"_It's too...I don't know...it doesn't have that 'feeling'. Your earlier novels had spunk and feel and emotion, but now..." Rosalind placed the rejected manuscripts aside. "...now I don't **feel**_ _for the characters. If you know what I mean."_

_Cagalli's eyes narrowed and she snatched the manuscripts from the desk. "No, I don't. And if you don't like my stories, then fine! I'll take it elsewhere where people would actually **appreciate **my work!" _

_She stomped out of the building, hands clenched into fists as she made her way to where she was now..._

O-o-O

"Damn it! I hate my life!" Cagalli grumbled to herself. "I wish I knew exactly what's wrong with my manuscripts. It's so _frustrating_..."

Too caught up in her unpleasant thoughts, she accidentally bumped into the back of a tall, dark-haired man who was placing his order. "Oops. Excuse me, sir," she muttered absently and moved aside to the next register.

"Hello and welcome to Café Romeo. May I take your order, please?"

Cagalli blinked when she found herself looking at a too-familiar looking face. "D-Dearka Elthman, is that you?" she demanded in surprise.

The blond opposite her side of the counter nodded his head. He was Cagalli's friend and classmate since they slave away in the same university. "Yep, I'm working here now. I got a part-time job to get that dream car of mine. You know, that beautiful red Honda..." Dearka drooled slightly at the mouth as an image of a shiny red car popped up in his mind.

Cagalli smirked. "Of course, you want a new car to impress the girl of your dreams, Mir—"

"SHH! Not so loud!" Dearka exclaimed and clamped a hand over her mouth. He looked from left to right suspiciously and when he thought it was safe, leaned closer to hiss, "Do you want everyone else to know about my crush? It could potentially destroy my reputation! Plus, Milly might never go out with me!"

Cagalli pushed his hand away with a laugh. "Whatever. You're too paranoid. Miriallia will never fall for a guy just because he has a fancy car. It's the thought that counts."

"And since when did YOU become an expert on the multifaceted mind of a female? You never even had a boyfriend yourself!" he scoffed.

She scowled darkly. "I could have hanged you at the highest lamppost for that comment, but I'll let it pass because I need your body undamaged to get me my latte."

The tanned blond paused, noticing how tired and harassed she looked, and smiled sympathetically. "You're having a tough time, huh?"

She nodded and sighed. "Life is currently the pits. So I come here to unwind. I'd like a mocha latte please."

"Alright, just wait a sec."

When both Cagalli and the dark-haired man's drinks were placed on the side counter, she quickly grabbed her latte and followed the guy out of the café. As she walked to the left while he walked to the right, she took a big swallow of her drink...

_And got the shock of her life!_

Her amber eyes rounded and she spat the latte out of her mouth.

"What in blazes—this isn't my latte!' She ripped the lid off and stared at the dark, gleaming liquid inside. Her jaw fell open. "How the heck did I end up getting BLACK COFFEE?"

She made an about-face and marched on back to the coffee bar, ready to throttle Dearka and give him a piece of her mind about his lousy efficiency, when she suddenly noticed the dark-haired man heading to the parking lot.

And then it hit her!

_I remember now...he and I had our drinks at the same counter and we grabbed the drinks at the same time...which means we must have grabbed each other's drinks by accident!_

"EXCUSE ME, SIR! EXCUSE MEEEEEEEEE!" Cagalli yelled as she sprinted after the stranger, waving one hand while carefully holding up the caffeinated drink. "Hey, sir!"

But he was still walking further and further away. Cagalli quickened her pace and hollered even louder, "Hey, you stupid jerk! I'M TALKING TO YOU SO DON'T IGNORE ME!"

He still didn't stop. Oh, jeez. Either the man was hearing-impaired, or he was enjoying himself too much as he took a gulp of her mocha latte while having a leisurely stroll down the street.

"Hey YOU, that's MY LATTE, you BASTARD!" Cagalli growled as she finally caught up with him.

The man finally glanced behind him, bright green eyes widening in surprise.

For a moment, all Cagalli could do was stare helplessly into those eyes. She'd never seen such beautiful green eyes in her life!

Of course, Cagalli's staring didn't help her physical wellbeing, because her velocity became too much for her to handle and her sneakers screeched as she ran smack into a wall.

BAM!

She slowly fell backwards and landed flat on her back.

"Err...Miss, are you alright?" The emerald-eyed man asked, feeling concern for the blond woman as he bent down to offer his hand.

Cagalli's tension, already stretched to its limit, was now reaching breaking point. Tears of frustration prickled at the corners of her eyes. We can now safely conclude that any minute now, heads would roll...and let's thank our lucky stars that it wouldn't be ours.

"Miss?"

Now, let's take a sneak peak into Cagalli's overly frustrated mind as she gazes into the man's green eyes.

First thought: _Oh, damn. This sucks. I hate this god-forsaken day, I hate this world, I hate black coffees, and I HATE THAT GREEN-EYED MAN! _

Second thought: _Calm down, Cagalli. Calm down. Manslaughter is still considered a crime here and jail isn't a very comfortable place to stay in..._

And finally: _Wow! This guy is GORGEOUS!_

There was no denying it. He had a face that was positively to die for. Tall and lean, he had wavy blue-black hair and was blessed with thick-lashed, vivid green eyes that could make any girl drown in them helplessly. He was dressed in a dark blue turtleneck sweater and jeans and a pair of tennis shoes.

_Forget gorgeous._ He was HOT.

But of course, a hot face would mean absolutely nothing in the long run once Cagalli's fist pummels into it.

A vein began throbbing in her temple. _I can't believe this. I work my butt off day and night, slaving for hard-earned cash, and it all went down the drain—or rather the THROAT of this latte-stealing loser!_

"Miss, are you alright?" he asked again when Cagalli still didn't respond. The half-empty latte he drank had been thrown into the nearby trash disposal.

She was as still as a mannequin, staring at his face, and then at the latte in the garbage bin.

The green-eyed man looked down worriedly at the girl who had knocked herself against the wall. Was she injured? Why wasn't she responding? Perhaps he should call a physician...

At last she spoke, "You...drank...my...latte..."

He looked confused for a moment, and then he smiled. "Oh, so that must be why it didn't taste like my usual java. For a moment there I thought my taste buds must have suffered from a malfunction—" He was about to make an apology and add that he would buy her another latte, when Cagalli's anger instincts kicked into gear.

Let the nuclear explosion begin.

"You JERK! Do you have ANY IDEA what you've just WASTED?" All of Cagalli's pent-up frustration and fury blew open and directed itself at the green-eyed man. "I'LL TELL YOU WHAT YOU'VE JUST WASTED! My MONEY, my TIME, my—Ugh! What am I doing wasting MORE of my money, time and life standing here talking to LOSERS like YOU! I'm LEAVING!" She turned her back on him altogether and took a step forward.

"H-Hey, miss? What about my coffee?" he asked innocently.

Her face darkened.

Bad move.

"Oh, I forgot. _Here's your coffee_." She smiled oh-so-sweetly, and that dangerous smile should have made a very clear warning for the poor man that he should RUN FOR HIS LIFE while he still _could_.

But, of course, who could blame him for being ignorant?

With calm, deliberate steps, Cagalli walked up to him and dumped the cup of dark liquid over his head in one quick move. It splashed down and soaked him from head to foot. "I hope it tasted as GOOD as MY LATTE! Have a nice life, you JERK!" With a huff she stormed away, leaving the green-eyed man standing there in amazement.

He blinked, looked down at his coffee-drenched clothes, then sighed. "All I wanted was my Sunday Java...was that so hard to ask?"

Hmm. Don't push your luck, buddy.

* * *

First off, allow her to state that she absolutely DESPISED evening teas.

That's right. Cagalli hated playing tea party with a passion—almost as much as she HATED black coffees.

So what the heck was she doing standing on her friend Lacus's Hello Kitty welcome mat, attending a (God forbid) _evening tea session_?

It was simple, really. She had promised her good friend she would come and have tea with her today. And Cagalli Yula Athha _always _kept her promises—no matter how **vile** or **awful** it was. (Should anyone DARE think otherwise, she promises to give them a good kick where the sun don't shine, thus proving the validity of her claim.)

Now, the second thing she had to state: she absolutely DESPISED being late.

But she was officially half an hour behind schedule thanks to that green-eyed jerk she'd met earlier. (May the bastard dig himself a hole, pour his yucky-tasting black coffee into it and DROWN himself in the black poison he so enjoys drinking. Grr...)

Obviously she wasn't in a very 'happy-happy-joy-joy' mood, but she was hoping it would improve with Lacus Clyne's calming influence.

She knocked on the front door and waited.

A moment later, a young woman with long pink tresses and sky blue eyes opened the door and smiled cheerfully. (For your general information, this lovely lady's name is Lacus Clyne, eighteen, and possibly one of the sweetest, most generous human being that ever walked the planet. Mess with her, and you mess with a pissed off Cagalli. This is just a friendly warning.)

"Ah, you're finally here! Please come on in and have tea with us," she said.

Lacus's innocent invitation held no special meaning—until the last word, that is.

"_Us_...?" Cagalli repeated with raised eyebrows.

From behind the pink-haired woman, she could make out the outline of a familiar figure sitting on a couch...a horrendously familiar-looking figure with emerald green eyes and inky-black hair.

Cagalli's jaw dropped wide open.

_No way. _

She blinked, hoping that it was her vision problem. Yes, it was all an optical illusion. Her hysterical mind must be suffering from such intense anxiety that it was playing tricks on her.

Alas, her hope was quickly flushed down the toilet. After she blinked approximately 246 times, he still sat there, alive and breathing...mocking her with his existence.

Cagalli groaned.

Oh, this is just _great_. Her day just kept getting better and better. Please note the sarcasm.

"What are YOU doing HERE, you JERK!"

Lacus sweat dropped. "Err...I suppose...you two have met before?"

"Oh YES, we have!" Cagalli glared toxic fumes and radioactive waves at the green-eyed man. "What the heck is HE doing here? He's contaminating my breathing space as we speak!"

Lacus smiled. "Oh, let me introduce my guest to you. He is my childhood friend, Athrun Zala...He's dropping by for a brief visit today from Britain. It's been ages since we've last seen each other, so I'm hoping we can get better acquainted now." She gently pushed the eye-twitching Cagalli into the lounge. "Why don't you sit down and wait while I make tea? It'll only take a minute."

_What? And kill a whole 60 seconds making small talk with HIM? Have you lost your freaking MIND? _Cagalli opened her mouth to voice out her protest but Lacus had already disappeared into the kitchen.

Silence.

Cagalli and Athrun looked at each other.

_Glare._

Stare.

_Glare._

Stare.

_Glare._

Stare.

A total of fifteen seconds was wasted on their little ogling game.

Finally, Athrun sighed and took the initiative. "If your mother ever taught you any social graces, then please take your seat and wait for your tea instead of standing there and glowering at me as if you'd like to skin me alive, Miss..." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Oh, I don't think I've gotten your name. What IS your name by the way?"

Her lips twisted in disgust. "What a delightful question! You STEAL my latte, caused me to run into a WALL, and now you expect me to cheerfully and willingly give you my name? Hah! Not in this lifetime, buddy."

"Ah...that latte...Well, if you must know, lattes are not on my top favorite drinks. So I did not 'steal' it on purpose."

"Of course. Just like how black coffee taste absolutely disgusting to my refined tastes and I didn't steal yours!"

Athrun clapped his hands. "Splendid! Then we both agree the other didn't steal each other's drinks. It was all an innocent case of accidental drink swap."

"Yeah, I totally agree...If you haven't drunk it all and given it BACK to me in the end!"

"But YOU threw my coffee at me," he pointed out.

"So? I would have given it back if YOU haven't drunk all of mine and thrown it into the garbage disposal!" she snarled.

His green eyes twinkled. "Well, you certainly didn't expect me to pollute our Mother Earth by throwing it on the ground, now did you?"

Cagalli silently fumed. Here was a very intelligent man who had a ready supply of witty rebuttals in stock. _Definitely not to be underestimated... _

"So, what's your name?" he suddenly asked.

_...Also irritatingly persistent._ "I told you, I don't give my name to total strangers who steal lattes for a living!" she snapped.

"Ah yes. But it's polite to give the other your name when you know his."

"Mr. Zala, burglars, rapists and thieves are also shown daily on national television about their escape or capture. Their wanted names are given on the small screen to alert us about them, so we know their names but they don't know ours. In the end, it's polite only when it's necessary."

"Brilliant deduction...and a good thing too! They might stalk us in our sleep and murder us."

Cagalli felt like pulling her hair out. "Ugh! I'd like to murder YOU!"

"Then simply give me your name and I won't torture you anymore," Athrun smirked.

She scowled and folded her arms over her chest. "I'll tell you alright...the day hell freezes over, elephants grow wings and koalas go on a homicidal rampage."

He smiled serenely. "I look forward to that day."

At this point, you could actually hear her jaw clench together as she drilled death glares into his ribcage. Did that man have ANY idea how damn CLOSE he was to having his mutilated corpse dumped into a pond full of bloodthirsty piranhas? And who could blame her for those detrimental thoughts of homicide? He was driving her NUTS!

She closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. _Cagalli, repeat after me. Killing people is not healthy. Killing people is bad. But killing Zala...? _

...Actually, it wasn't such a bad idea. But where could she find a butcher knife?

"Cagalli, Athrun, I have your teas!" Lacus strolled into the living room with a bright grin, holding a cup of tea in each of her delicate hands. She seemed completely unaware of the high, almost throat-strangling tension in the air as she handed them their respective teas.

Athrun accepted it first and drank the lukewarm tea. "Thank you, Lacus. If I remember well, you always did make the best teas and you still do."

_I'll bet my esophagus you feed that line to every woman who gives you tea. _Cagalli rolled her eyes as she sat two sofas AWAY from Athrun Zala.

The pink-haired woman blushed prettily. "Oh, thank you, Athrun. Still as charming as ever, I see."

The blond inwardly gagged. _Charming? HIM! What are you comparing him to? A rattlesnake preparing to attack or a panther that's waiting to stalk its prey...?_

Not wanting to spend a second longer with the green-eyed latte-stealing man (lest she went ahead with her tempting _butcher knife_ plan...), Cagalli consumed her tea in one big swallow and stood up. "Oh, look at the time. It's getting late and I've got to run. Thanks for the tea, Lacus." As you can guess, she didn't bother to bid Athrun farewell and quickly escaped the house.

Lacus blinked. "Eh? What's gotten into her?"

Athrun simply smiled as he sipped his tea again.


	2. Part Two

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone! I've been having a busy/busy week in school, juggling the usual teen angst, trapped with homework and the horror that is examination. Plus, this chapter kept bonking me on the head and refused to cooperate with me. I think I redid it a million, billion, ka-zillion times until I felt remotely satisfied with it. (Sigh) I need coffee...

* * *

**BLACK COFFEES, MOCHA LATTES, AND LOVE**

**PART TWO: Their third disastrous meeting and why you should never curse fate...**

* * *

Fate (and not to mention _luck_) was definitely not on her side this week.

The day started out quite well (but then, don't they always...?), with a cheerful fluffy morning straight out of a picture perfect moment, complete with melodious songbirds and her oh-so-loveable twin brother Kira screaming—

"**CAGALLI, YOU'RE LATE FOR** **SCHOOL**!"

...Which succeeded to bring her fluffy morning down to world-record level of crappiness.

WHOOSH!

Brush teeth- _Check_. Quick shower- _Check_. Kill Kira for not waking her up earlier- _...I'll get back to you on that._

WHOOSH!

Kira Yamato had barely blinked when his sister zoomed past him into the kitchen to grab whatever breakfast he'd cooked up, then zoomed back into her bedroom to grab her bag, proceeded to zoom back downstairs, paused to yell at her surprised sibling for not waking her up earlier, ignored his protests that the last time he woke her up early she threatened to castrate him slowly and painfully, spared Kira's life because she still needed a cook in the house, then zoomed out the doorway.

And all in 60 seconds flat. Superwoman couldn't have done it better herself.

As Cagalli was running as fast as her legs could carry her as she headed for her university, she simultaneously muttered colorful profanities under her breath and marveling the amazed passersby with her creative vocabulary. _Why_, she fumed, _did that stupid alarm clock HAD to suffer a nervous breakdown TODAY of ALL DAYS?_

In case you're a little lost, here's a little background check: Today is the start of a new and exciting semester in Freshie's University of Literature and Writing; a class Cagalli had taken up in her ongoing quest to improve her skills as a writer. She had absolutely no intention of giving her instructors a bad impression of herself by turning up late, which only served to further ruin her mood since she was now almost behind schedule.

At present, with Cagalli so wrapped up with her pessimistic thoughts, it was difficult to focus her attention on the road. So unsurprisingly she failed to notice the man standing at the entrance of the university.

BANG!

It was a collision course just _waiting _to happen.

"Oomph!"

Cagalli crashed into him and bounced backward. She managed to regain her balance and smiled apologetically. "Oh, excuse me, sir! I wasn't watching where I was going and—"

"It's no problem. To be honest, I'm getting used to it by now." He turned around to face her—and lo and behold, it was none other than the aggravating Athrun Zala, smiling ever so pleasantly.

It was a comical sight to see her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. Shocked and horrified, she pointed her index finger accusingly in his face and yelled, "_You_... What in blazes are YOU doing here?"

"Ah, it's you," Athrun said wryly. "It seems fate always seem to push us together."

"Yeah, it has one peculiar sense of humor," she muttered darkly. _Stupid, damn fate! _"But you haven't answered my question yet. What are YOU doing here of ALL PLACES? Do you find some kind of twisted pleasure in stalking me or something?"

His green eyes twinkled—a sure sign he was about to say something she wasn't going to like. "Why, don't you know I'll be studying here from this day onward?"

An innocent statement. With a not-so-innocent implication. Cagalli felt as if lightning had struck her ten times in a row. _Holy cow! Back up a second here. Did he just say what I **think** he just said?_

"**WHAT**? You're going to study HERE? In THIS university? Tell me you're joking." Her inner-self was practically prostrated on the ground, hands clasped together as she pleaded, '_Please, tell me you're joking. Please, please, PLEASE!'_

Athrun responded by casually taking a piece of paper out of his pocket Athrun responded by casually taking a piece of paper out of his pocket and glancing at his timetable. At the top of it was the school's name: FRESHIE'S UNIVERSITY OF LITERATURE AND WRITING. He looked up at the big arc-sign above them with the same heading—only in bigger and bolder letters. "I'm afraid it's true. I'm going to study in THIS University," he confirmed cheerily.

This. Can't. Be. Happening. "But...I thought Lacus said...you're only dropping by from Britain..." She sounded so pathetic and desperate even to her own ears.

"True, but I came here to study as well. At least for the time being to see if I can cope well here. Since you still look like you want to clobber me with a club, I think I can assume you haven't forgotten about the latte incident. We are to be schoolmates, so I hope we can let bygones be bygones, forget yesterday ever happened, and perhaps, start over again?"

He looked and sounded so sincere. And just when she thought she had it all wrong, that he wasn't so bad after all, he innocently asked her:

"Oh, by the way...Your name, if you please?"

"Cagalli Yula Athha," she replied without thinking. And then she mentally kicked herself. "HEY! That's not fair! You sprung that question out of the blue, you jerk! You TRICKED ME!"

The insufferable man laughed as he began walking into the campus. "I knew sooner or later you would tell me your name voluntarily."

It was perhaps lucky that he turned his back on her at that exact moment, because you could see thunderclouds slowly forming above Cagalli's head, her whole body twitching spastically and her eyes actually _bursting_ into flames. No, it's _no_ exaggeration. She was THAT mad!

Twitch. Twitch.

Teeth gnashing...

...and everybody within a hundred-mile radius of the university nearly fell over when they suddenly heard an outburst of blazing proportions.

"**Ugh**! **Athrun Zala, you bellowing barnacle on a blisterfish**! **You melon-headed, ashy-elbowed, bowlegged, grouper-fish-looking-so-ugly-your-own-mother-wouldn't-love-you piece of pathetic warped toad-kissing bugbear**! **You low-life, bottom-feeding heathen**—"

As for Athrun Zala, he left the fuming mad Cagalli to rattle off insults like a machine gun on an unlimited supply of ammo, smirking all the way. Really, the woman was just too amusing for words...

O-o-O

"_Oh, I apologize, Athrun. She's usually quite polite. It's just that...she's been rather stressed out these days." Lacus Clyne heaved a deep sigh as she seated herself beside her guest._

"_She's...very unusual," Athrun remarked._

_His hostess laughed at the understatement. "Well, that's one way of putting it. But she's nice."_

Nice? _He almost choked on his tea. The woman was a hellcat with a burning temper to match. Still...she was interesting. "Well, I'm sure you're right. I never got her full name though..." he murmured vaguely. _

_Lacus grinned impishly. "Do I smell romance in the air?"_

_He sniffed the air and smiled. "Nah, just something burning..."_

_Thick, acrid smoke was slowly drifting out of the kitchen. "AH! My chocolate cookies!" cried Lacus as she ran straight to the oven to save her poor cookies. _

_Athrun stirred his tea as he thought of the tomboyish blond. He wondered if he would ever meet her again. Her name was...Cagalli, wasn't it? But what was her last name?_

_He could always ask Lacus for the answer, of course. _But, _he smirked, _where would the fun be in that?

_The little she-cat was going to make his stay here memorable indeed..._

O-o-O

"...**You're the most irritating, overbearing, arrogant—Damn you, Athrun Zala. Don't ignore me**!" she raged on with one fist shaking in the air. She sounded as if she was ready to rip his spine out and use it as a hockey stick to smash his skull in.

Athrun's lips twitched.

Ah...but their interesting little showdown had only just begun.

* * *

_Cursing fate is not a good idea. _

She finally figured it out. Yes, it all made perfect sense. It was why she was being so cruelly punished now. How else could you explain how Athrun Zala (who must have invented the word 'annoying' for the Oxford Dictionary) was also placed in the same class as **hers**?

_Fate, I hereby do swear to never ever swear against you...ever, ever again!_

Cagalli grinded her teeth together as she watched Athrun Zala enter into the classroom. From the moment the green-eyed man took that first step inside, the attention of every female student in class zoomed in on him like a hunk-sensing radar—and 99 percent of them became an instant Athrun-fan convert. (It should be a no-brainer to guess who the remaining 1 percent is...)

"Oh, he's _divine_!"

"He's totally hot! I wonder if he's single..."

"I think I'm in love. (Insert sigh of adoration)."

"I think I'm gonna barf." This coming from Cagalli, seemingly the only sane woman alive (or at least, in the classroom). She suddenly realized she SHOULD have slept in late today. It would have been worth it just to get away from all this gung-ho over some smart-aleck who wasn't even THAT handsome! (Okay, okay, so he IS that handsome. So sue her!)

Dearka Elthman sat beside the teeth-gritting blond, watching with a huge grin of amusement as Cagalli hurled death glare after death glare at Athrun and his growing fan club. Cagalli was not alone in her 'die-Athrun-die!' glares. It seemed the male population at large didn't like the attention he was getting either. 'Girl moments' like this are, after all, pure torture of the evilest kind to them.

After observing the odd interest Cagalli was suddenly taking in Athrun Zala, who happened to be that green-eyed man who walked into Café Romeo yesterday, Dearka couldn't resist baiting her.

"How...educational of you to want to note how the female species throw themselves at a man's feet," he said blandly.

"_Educational_? Or is it just sick and wrong?" Cagalli's lips twisted in distaste. She felt almost ashamed to call herself a part of the same gender as those pitifully fanatical fangirls. "Look at them. It's repulsive! Just because he's a heartthrob..."

"...And smart, and talented, and utterly charming—_like me_," Dearka added smugly.

Cagalli cast him a withering look. "Whose side are you on anyway?" she demanded.

Being the 'smart' guy he was, Dearka quickly lifted up his hands defensively. "I'm a neutral party. But it's really not like you to act so jealously over a—"

"I AM **NOT** JEALOUS!" she growled, practically baring her teeth.

He laughed and bent his head sideways from the thick textbook she was throwing at him. "See? This is the first three symptoms of every victim infected by Cupid's deadly disease. First, you go in denial..."

"I AM **NOT** IN DENIAL!"

"...Then, you think: 'Okay, maybe I like him a little...so what'?"

"**Do you want to die a premature death**?"

"...Followed by a horrifying discovery that you're eaten by jealousy whenever he's in the territory of the members of your own species..."

"Elthman, I'm barely restraining myself from attacking you—"

"...And the next thing you know, you're miserable without him. You realize it's either you're suffering from a reverse case of severe bulimia by eating all those chocolate Oreo cookies regardless of your balanced diet...OR you're caught in that horrifying spell most commonly known as _love_." Dearka ended his lovely sermon with a dramatic eye-rolling effect.

Cagalli gave a loud snort. "Who do you think you are? A love guru in disguise?"

He smirked. "Trust me, if I was a love guru, you'd be **married** to Zala by now."

His little comment earned himself another toss of her thick textbook, which he easily ducked. Dearka sighed and shook his head sadly. "Jeez. I changed my mind. What kind of insane male would fall for a girl with an obsessive-compulsive need to be sadistic? He'd end up in the medical ward every five seconds!"

Dearka's big mouth was his big downfall. Since all her textbooks were used up, Cagalli resorted to grabbing his neck to begin O.T.A.P—Operation Throttle Annoying Pest.

"Miss Athha, please stop choking your classmate in class. Do it during your break time." Their instructor strolled into the classroom and barely even glanced at them, acting as if his students strangling each other was an everyday thing (...which might not be so far from the truth).

"All right, sir." Cagalli reluctantly released Dearka's neck and her victim sighed in relief.

"Well, I'm leaving now. Too bad my last class isn't with you. I'd have loved to see the next episode of 'Catfight'." Dearka truly did sound envious as he reluctantly left the classroom.

Cagalli smirked at him, but it quickly faded when yet two more overenthusiastic boars (i.e. hormone-high fangirls) barreled over to Athrun's desk.

"Oh, Athrun, would you like me to show you around the campus later on?" One brunette simpered while batting her eyelashes flirtatiously.

He smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry but—"

"No, let ME!" hissed the other.

"I asked first!"

"He's MINE! Take your filthy hands OFF him!"

Athrun sweat dropped as his two fangirls advanced on each other like two growling tigresses, fingernails raised in preparation for battle.

Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.

Cagalli rolled her eyes and dragged her attention away from the catfight and focused her gaze on the professor with steely resolve. _Focus on the instructor, _she ordered herself. _Don't look at Zala and those pitiful idiots glomping him. It's not worth wasting your precious neurons thinking about it._

Sadly, it was an exercise in futility. Their ridiculous squabbles over the Zala were too noisy to be ignored.

RRRRRRRING!

The bell signaling the end of the school day was a sacred blessing straight out of Mount Olympus. As soon as the professor dismissed them, Cagalli grabbed her backpack and ran for the exit like it was a doorway to heaven...

...Only to see Athrun Zala standing in front of her, blocking her escape.

Cagalli groaned and covered her face with her hands. _Gah! Have I not already apologized to you, oh cruel fate? What more do you want me to do? Throw myself at your feet and **beg** for mercy? _

Well, wishing that Athrun was decomposing somewhere in a coffin wasn't going to have him disappear from the door. With a resigned sigh, she asked, "What is it you want THIS time, Zala? Do you want to further torment me with your presence?"

"Nothing of the sort. I was just wondering if you would be so kind as to show me around the university grounds since I'm new here and all?" he asked politely. TOO politely.

Her first impulse was to snap: _Zala, did the aliens forget to remove your anal probe? My answer is a flat out **NO**! Hell will freeze over if you think I'm going to tolerate you for more than five seconds top. Now get out of my way before I rearrange your facial structure to resemble the Hunchback of Notre Dame's._

But something made her pause. True, Athrun Zala annoyed the heck out of her. True, she was only one step behind from grabbing him and initiating O.T.A.P again. But the more reasonable, sensible part of her whispered, just because they got off from the wrong foot in the beginning didn't mean their little feud had to continue. After all, it was only a small, teensy weensy case of misunderstanding...

...Not to mention that something stupid inside her _wanted_ to show him around.

That clinched it. As far as Cagalli was concerned, stupid urges were to be avoided at all cost—especially when it came to men with looks powerful enough to turn women into a pile of gooey mush.

"I would _love_ to show you around. Alas, I have more important things to do than attend to your great time of need. So go read the map of the school pasted clearly on the bulletin board and you won't get lost," Cagalli said sarcastically as she bypassed him.

Athrun watched her leave with a mixture of surprise and disappointment. And from behind him, his two most recent fangirls took advantage of his temporary guard down to latch on to him.

"Don't worry, Athrun! WE would **love** to take you around the campus!" One of them squealed annoyingly, clutching his arm so tightly it was a struggle for his blood to circulate.

"Yeah, what does a vicious tomboy like Cagalli know about how to show you a good time," scoffed the other.

Cagalli froze.

Veins throbbed in her temples.

Her eyes narrowed.

She turned around slowly.

"What...did...you...**_say_**?"

It was an innocent, softly spoken question. But coming from Cagalli, it sounded like a death threat.

Most people with half a brain cell would have backed off, or at least, ran screaming for cover before they sealed their doom. But the stupid airheads just didn't know when to quit.

"Are you deaf as well as dumb? I said you're a vicious tomboy who doesn't know how to show anyone a good time, let alone a hunk like Athrun!" The girl who had offended her smirked viciously.

The other girl sniffed the air and made a face. "Eww! And she _smells _funny too."

"It's soap. I don't suppose you've smelt it before?" Cagalli asked wryly.

The two fangirls glared at her. In retaliation, they took turns to insult her. "Humph! You're one to talk! You're the most unfeminine creature that ever walked on two legs...A complete loser...I mean, you've never had a decent date OR a boyfriend in your life! Obviously because there's no way you can ever attract a male's attention—unless he's a total nutcase."

They were asking for it. They really were.

SMACK! KICK! PUNCH!

Within seconds, Cagalli in a severely pissed off mood was dragging Athrun out of the classroom, leaving the bodies of two girls lying unconscious on the floor.

"Hmm...Now I understand why they call you 'The Barbarian'," said Athrun vaguely.

"I am NOT a barbarian," she snapped as she pulled him down the corridor. "You heard them. They were nasty, malicious and downright rude! No one calls me names and gets away with it!"

"So...does this mean you changed your mind about giving me the tour?" he asked, smiling hopefully.

"Nope, that'll take too long. Athrun Zala, let me introduce you to the school's bulletin board. It's the best and easiest way to show you the school without wasting much time. Do you realize this university is probably larger than the Empire State Building?"

She stopped in front of said bulletin board and pointed to the map. Her index finger stabbed the bright red dot which said 'YOU ARE HERE'. "See this? We're standing at this exact spot. Step one: examine the map. Step two: store the direction in your PC files up in your brain centre. Step three: follow it. With that, I guarantee you won't get lost any time soon unless your sense of direction is as hopeless as a blindfolded cow's."

"I see..." Athrun's lips twitched as he looked down.

Cagalli followed his gaze and realized she was still holding his hand. Her face turned pink and she quickly let go, clearing her throat. She opened her mouth, willing her oral cavity to say something impressive, witty, intelligent, eloquent. Instead she heard herself spew out a mountain of garbage: "Whatever. I'm heading home now. You just...stare at that map and memorize it...Yeah, that's right. And, err, I'll just...be going. Right."

_That's so clever, Cagalli. So very brilliant. Now get out of here, you crazy demented woman, before you make a further fool out of yourself!_

Taking heed of her own advice, a cutely blushing Cagalli turned her back on Athrun and stomped robotically out of the scene, muttering over and over again, "Stupid, stupid, stupid...!"


End file.
